Improvement in auger-handles



G. L. GIBSON.

AMER-HMIME.

No.178.288. Patented .Tunes-,1.876.

. .Y fitnesses Inventor K 122 *jay vUNITEn STATES GEORGE L. GIBSON',

0E EENo, NEVADA.

IMPROVEMENT IN AuGER-HANDLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,288, dated June 6, 1876; application le v February 29, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,'GEoRGE L. GIBsoN, of Reno, Washoe county, State of Nevada, have invented an Improvement in Auger-Handles; and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sufticient .to enable any person skilled in the art or s'cience to which it most. nearly appertains to make and use my said invention or improvement without further invention or experiment. My invention relates to an improved handle for angers and boring-bits; and its object is to provide a simple and effective arrangement by which the handle is rendered capableof holding augers and bits of different sizes.

Referring to the'accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device. Fig. 2 is a view showing section of central portion.

Let A represent an auger-handle of the ordinary shape, and through the middle of which is made the usual square hole or socket h for the reception of the square shank ofthe auger or bit. In order to make this socket adjustable for holding Shanks of dii'erent sizes, I

'make a saw-cut or other open slit, b, on each side of this socket or opening, which extends from the socketeach way toward the end of the handles a suflicient distance to allow the two halves of the handle to spring together or apart when compressed frmnopposite sides,

Athus enlarging or reducing the 'size of the socket. A saw-kerf will vusually remove suf- Iicient material from the middle line of the handle to give ample expansion and contraction for all ordinary-sized tool-shanks; but if it should not, I can increase the width of the kerf or slit as wide as desired.

o prevent the handle from splitting entirely open after the slit is finished, I either drive a rivet, e, through it at the termination of the slit or place a metallic band around it. I then make a slot through the middle of the handle, so that it will pass transversely across the socket or hole in which the tool-shank is held. This slot is sufficiently. large to admit a bolt, f, the middle of which is formed with a square opening corresponding to the shape of -the shank-socket, so that its opposite ends project from the sides of the handle. I then secure a curved metal plate, h', to each side of the handle, so that the ends of the boltfwll project through it. A nut, i, is then turned upon the threaded end of the nut. This nut has a lever-handle,` j, by means of which it can be turned. It is evident, therefore, that it' the shank of an auger be placed in the shank-socket of the handle, it will also'pass through the square opening in the middle of the bolt, and that by turning the nut i up against the handle the two parts on each side ofthe split or saw-kerf will be forced together until the shank is firmly fastened in place.

Various arrangements for forcing the two parts of the handle together could be devised,

but that above described` answers every purpose.

I am aware, that the end of' a tool-handle has heretofore been split and a screw-used for forcing the two parts together so as to adapt it to hold tools of different sizes; but this I do not claim.

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The auger-handle A, with its shanksocket h, and having the saW-kert' or split b extending each way from the socket toward the ends of the handles, in combination with the screwbolt f and nut i, or equivalent device, for drawing the two-parts of the handle together and rendering the socket h adjustable. substantially as and for the purpose described.

GEORGE L. GIBSON. Witnesses: i

,G11/As. T. BENDER,

JAMES H. BORLAND. 

